A BIRD-LOVER’S APRIL. YH § 
I felt under a double obligation to these two 
specimens of Anorthura troglodytes hiemalis: 
first for their music itself; and then for the sup- 
port which it gave to a pet theory of mine, that 
all our singing birds will yet be found to sing 
more or less regularly in the course of the 
vernal migration. 
Within another forty-eight hours this same 
theory received additional confirmation. I was 
standing under an apple-tree, watching a pair 
of titmice who were hollowing out a stub for a 
nest, when my ear caught a novel song not far 
away. Of course I made towards it; but the 
bird flew off, across the road and into the woods. 
My hour was up, and I reluctantly started home- 
ward, but had gone only a few rods before the 
song was repeated. This was more than human 
nature could bear, and, turning back upon the 
run, I got into the woods just in time to see 
two birds chasing each other round a tree, both 
uttering the very notes which had so roused my 
curiosity. Then away they went; but as I was 
again bewailing my evil luck, one of them re- 
turned, and flew into the oak, directly over my 
head, and as he did so fell to calling anew, Swe, 
suky, suky. A single glance upward revealed 
that this was another of the silent migrants, — 
a brown creeper! Only once before had I 
heard from him anything beside his customary 
